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We tend to focus on trends and what IS fashionable. What shoes to wear. What looks best with cropped jeans. What kind of accessories you need to spruce up your summer wardrobe.

But at some point you need to process what you should not do! We’ve all made those mistakes. And really in the great scheme does it really matter? Probably not. But why not save ourselves from one more embarrassing moment?

Here are my top ten fashion no-no’s.

Leggings and/or tights are not pants. I know we have covered this before. But it bears repeating. It’s just too much information if you know what I mean, no matter how amazing you think you look in them!

Shorts that are too short. There are very few, save the actual Daisy Duke, who can pull off the short shorts. And even if you can, don’t. It screams cheesy, cheap and easy. Again, too much information. Anything less than a 3″ inseam for the younger set, and 5-6″ for the {{ahem}} more mature is just plain not cool.

Platform sneakers. They are just plain ugly. Seriously ugly. Like ewww. Please, just don’t!

Animal prints. In general let’s just say a little leopard can go a long way. As an accent. On your feet. On your handbag. Just don’t go all out animal or you look like you are a Bronx Zoo escape-y!

Sweatpants and running suits. Are you headed to the gym? On your way home from an awesome workout? Those are the only two reasons you should be wearing one. They aren’t cute, not so much flattering – and like I tell my girls who want to wear sweatpants to school….NO! It looks sloppy. Present yourself well.

The Ugg dilemma. I love my Ugg’s truly. But I live in Indiana. And it was a cold winter. Therefore the weather demanded warm footwear. But once the temps rise enough that you don’t really need pants…you don’t really need furry boots. Capiche?

Bad undergarments. Did you know they show? Did you know they shouldn’t? Just as much as I never want to see “pink” emblazoned across someones buttocks, I don’t want to see your pink bra strap, unless you are inevitably wearing a tank top and can’t help it. I definitely do NOT want to see your thong hanging out of your jeans. Again….ewwww! And on the other end of the spectrum, baggie panties just don’t do it. Buy some that fit, seamless even…please.

Overalls. I know they are making a comeback. Everything does. But unless you are tween or young teen you just look like you belong in a Kenny Chesney video. And hey, if he wants you to wear overalls in his video…go for it! Just leave them on the set. K?

Pajama pants. Right up there with exercise gear. Are you heading to bed? A slumber party? Then rock it sistah. Otherwise, don’t even do carpool in them. You know what your mother always told you about wearing clean underwear when you leave the house? Well, the same goes for pajama pants. You just never know what might happen!

Tight and short. If you have to strain to zip it. Or you can see the mole on your back rising through your shirt. You need to upsize. There is nothing wrong with upsizing to fit your body. You may be feeling out of shape and like you want to lose weight…but nothing screams it to the world then clothes that are too small. WHO CARES what size it is. Buy something that fits. Don’t refuse to buy a large because it’s a LARGE. I always buy large…especially when I am bargain shopping from companies that carry designer names. Their clothes notoriously run small. Buy what fits. You will look better. You will feel better. And you will present yourself better.

So friends, those are the first 10 fashion don’ts that came to mind. Nothing that should have made you say “i never thought of that”…but hopefully just a gentle reminder. We all need them once in awhile.

don’t wear this either. what IS it?

Anything you want to add? Anything I missed? Leave it in the comments – I would LOVE to know your thoughts!

As an FYI, I AM wearing a tank top today…you can see my bra strap…but it’s a gentle light pink, and my tank top is not skin tight…therefore I shall count this as a WIN!

Play time! Why the boat shoe is back – hello 80’s – I’ll never know…but as long as you go Lacoste (think tiny alligator) you’ll never go wrong. But if I was a guy, I’d choose these Sperry’s and wear them proudly!

4. Graphic printed anything is in. So are sneakers. Why not combine the two? So you could make your own polka dot tennies like Isabel did (here’s the tutorial) or you could buy a pair like these Keds at Kohls. I’m sure they are on sale. I mean really, does anyone pay full price at Kohl’s?

– jeans – shorts – short skirts and sundresses

There are my top pick for transitional shoes. I’m still mixing in my strappy sandals and flip flops as weather allows. But when it’s NOT cooperating, there is no need to be stumped on what looks fab on your tootsies.

And just in case the rain won’t stop? I recommend a pair of galoshes. They are super cute and available just about anywhere! My favs? These from DSW.com. LOVE!

Happy spring stylish friends!

Do you have a question for me? Just shoot me an email at hello@StudioJewel.com – if I choose your question you get a $25 gift certificate to my shop. Easy peasy!

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Honestly, I spent most of my weekend in workout clothes – and not just to be comfy. I was really putting them to good use! Seriously!

I have this new “thing”. I bring my workout gear to the studio. When I start to feel like I’m hitting the proverbial “brick wall”, I take a productive break and spend 15-20 minutes exercising. I use the Nike Training Club app on my iPad – warning this is NOT for casual fitness…this is some serious bust your butt workouts.

But this is a weekend fashion post…is it not?

Friday was Good Friday – and we went to church to reflect on our Saviors death. The girls and I did a little photo shoot before we headed out.

Isabel’s outfit is very simple, yet very put together – she is talented like that! The touch of lace gives it a light touch of spring under her very weather appropriate sweater. Don’t you just love her shoes? Straight from Japan-town in San Francisco!

sweater H&M • jeans Old Navy • lace tank Meijer • shoes Japan-town

Tahlia always has her fashion sense on. She found this cute summer dress but knew it was still too cold. A cropped sweater, some leggings and sparkle flats…tadah! Fashion complete!

This might be my favorite photo of the day. My little seen husband was coerced into posing with me! Aren’t we just perfect together?

This dress is one of my favorites, purchased last year at JB and Me. Black and white are a HUGE trend for spring and summer and the diagonal lines are a flattering – distracting – design. A simple black cardi to keep it seasonally appropriate and minimal jewelry…well, minimal for me. No earrings or necklace. A slight mix of copper and silver – the copper to some warmth. Ignore my crazy hair. I mean geesh! I had it cut by someone new this week 🙁 I hate it. But that’s a story for another day.

dress JB&me / cardi Banana Republic / Shoes DSW / jewelry my own

I hope you had a wonderful weekend with family or friends. We finished out Sunday with our traditional egg hunt. Since we are still in a transitional home, we decided to do it at church…lights out. Let’s just say next Sunday some kids may be very happy when they discover the eggs we just couldn’t find! 🙂

I’m off for a shopping day in Indianapolis today. The girls have informed me they have NOTHING to wear for spring. Wish me luck!

Is it possible I can talk about boots too much? Ok really…I can stop…if I want to. I mean, I heard a comedian go on and on for almost 10 minutes talking about bacon. And don’t get me wrong, I like bacon just as much as you…but it’s hardly as interesting as BOOTS!

Maybe they should write an Oscar song for me… “we saw your boots.”

Back on track.

The perfect boot.

Is there one?

Maybe this is the true reason I have so many. It’s my quest. The quest to find “the one” that will fill all my needs.

The perfect boot needs to be well-made. The highest quality materials. Sturdy construction. And incredibly fashionable.

The perfect boot needs to go from jeans to skirts – from winter to summer.

Me? I basically go from boots to flip-flops and flip-flops to boots. But what if there was a pair of boots that actually COULD take you into the spring and summer? What if that pair actually existed?

So imagine my sheer delight when Wolverine Company Store asked me to review another pair of CAT Footwear boots for them? I didn’t think it would be possible for me to find a pair I loved quite as much. Ready for this? I was wrong!

From supercasual to dressy. From skinny jeans to skirts. Best part? From winter to summer. I paired my boots with tights and a dress, because quite frankly, it’s freezing outside. But once spring and summer time comes, I will just as easily wear them with a sundress, or a jean skirt and BARE legs. Yay, warm weather is coming!

It’s the canvas part of these boots that makes them so transitional into the other seasons. It’s something I just haven’t seen before.I chose Brown. But they are available in a deep Sienna brown and black. The details. Are you seeing all these luscious details? Buckles and straps and glen plaid lining. Oh my. And see how soft and flexible?

But wait…there’s more.CAT footwear is offering a 30% off discount code for the first 30 comments. That’s a $66 savings! Yeow! So seriously…don’t wait! AND….They’re also GIVING AWAY this unbelievable ALL leather messenger bag to one lucky reader!!. Value? $250.I’m so jealous. I want it!

Here’s your details:

30 discount codes will be given to the first 30 comments. The code MUST be used by the 10th of March, 2013. And is only good at the Wolverine Company Store in Grand Rapids, MI, but they will ship anywhere in the U.S. for a mere $5.95!! Make sure your email is in the comments so we can contact you with the details!

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You know that thing called Facebook? Used to be all the rage with the teens. Seems like they moved on and left us alone! Yippeee!

Everyone complains about Facebook. It’s such a time suck. I don’t care about what you had for dinner. More baby pictures??

But in reality, Facebook is a great place to connect with your friends and family. And an even better place to stay in the know with your favorite brands. Say, maybe, like ME!

I am so grateful for all of you who have “liked my page”. You like me, you really really like me!

What I love about Facebook is that it is a fabulous way for me to connect with you right away. When I’m working on a project. When I’ve designed something new. When I have something I would like your feedback on. Or when I’ve had too much candy!

Here is the problem. Facebook is SO huge, immense, large, big, giant sized…we are missing each other. I know, it makes me sad too!

There is a solution. You didn’t think I’d leave you hanging, did you? NEVER!

If you want to stay up to date with me there is something you can do.

Go to my page…just click here. Or in the Facebook search box type in StudioJewel.

Yay, you’re there! You don’t like me yet? No worries! See that cute little “like” button? Just give it a click!

Then click next to where it says, “Show in News Feed”

If you want to make it even easier to find what’s going on, you might want to add me to one of your Interest Lists. See that option?

I LOVE interest lists. It allows me to put my family in a list, friends, shops I want to follow, basically ANY thing. Then you can easily access those lists with a simple click on your side bar. Want to learn more?

Click on “add to interest lists” and a new menu will come up with the lists you already have, and a button with a + sign that says + New Listchoose that. A window will pop up with my page (since that is the page you are on) along with suggestions as to what type of list to add the StudioJewel page to.

Click on the StudioJewel icon and then “next”.

Here is where you can name your list.

“shopping”

“sites I like”

“blogs I enjoy” 🙂

you get the idea

…then decide if you want your list available for everyone to see “Public”, only your “Friends”, or “Only Me”! I tend to keep my lists private, but that’s just me.

I called this list Studio Jewel – original, I know – but this way I can check on my posts very easily.

So where do you find your new found list? Click back on the Facebook icon at the top of your page to go back to the home screen. Scroll down scanning the column on the left until you see your Interest Lists! When I click on Studio Jewel I get my entire feed. So cool, right?

You can see all of your interest lists there….easy peasy!

Whew, thanks for sticking with me…and maybe learning a thing or two!

To reward you I would like to give away TWO $50 gift certificates to my shop. How do you enter? Just go to Facebook and update Studio Jewel to be in your newsfeed, or even add me to an interest list.

Come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did – don’t forget to leave your email too! I’ll leave the giveaway open until Saturday the 9th at midnight (EST).